Worth the wait

Albany-- It's been five years since Uyl Joyner led the Dougherty High Trojans to the school's first ever football state championship. Five years since he brought the city of Albany to it's feet.

But after two years at Troy State University Joyner was no longer the one everyone looked to to get the job done, instead the athletic quarterback was the one they looked to when the job was done.

"He always knew when practice was over because they put him in at Troy State. When they put him in they ran one play and blew the whistle and all the guys knew that practice was over," Albany State head coach Mike White said.

"A lot of my friends used to joke with me," Joyner said laughing. "As soon as I started running on the field they started unstrapping their pads because they knew it was time to go in."

Joyner says his sense of humor and upbeat personality helped him get through those tough times which included the two years he sat out of the sport after transferring to Albany State. And it's that same sense of humor that has made him such a hit with his coaches and teammates.

"If you're around Uyl, you're definitely going to get that constantly. Whether we aren't moving the ball, are moving the ball you cannot tell by the way he's going to prepare for them," White added.

"Sometimes the coaches, they can get too serious, so I try to throw a little fun in the game. You know, let the guys know that this is supposed to be a fun sport, we're doing this for fun," Joyner said.

But above all Joyner is just happy to be back home where he's flourishing in an Albany State offense. And for the first time in five years he'll quarterback a team in front of his hometown this Saturday night against Kentucky State.

"I can't wait to get in front of these Albany fans and just try and play as hard as I can for them," Joyner added.